Playlists

In honour of International Women's Day (March 8), we've put together a selection of 10 films directed by strong, influential women. From politics to the environment to the arts, these films by some of Canada's finest filmmakers address the issues that affect us all. So sit back, enjoy and raise a cheer to the women in your life.

For decades, the bulk of the controversial NFB classic film series Challenge for Change/Société nouvelle has been difficult to access. With the launch of the book Challenge for Change: Activist Documentary at the National Film Board of Canada, as well as this continually expanding online playlist, we, the editors of the book, are delighted to connect works such as The Ballad of Crowfoot, The Children of Fogo Island and VTR St-Jacques with literature that examines their artistry and politics.

With the first decade of this century coming to an end, many people have decided to compile top 10 lists of just about everything under the sun. To change things around a bit, I thought it would be interesting to focus on 10 films that, for the most part, people have not heard of or seen. My formula for choosing these films is very unscientific: They are 10 films produced between 2000 and 2009 that I thoroughly enjoyed. Socially Responsible Films This decade has seen the NFB put an emphasis on films about the environment, as well as documenting many unique biographies of Canadians. It is in our mandate to make socially responsible films, something we have never shied away from over the last 70 years. We have produced our fair share of investigative films in which we ask difficult questions about important subjects, such as war, cloning, violence against women and children’s rights. A great example of this is War Hospital, which takes an unflinching look at a field hospital in Kenya treating victims of the bloody civil war in Sudan. There’s no narration, but there are some incredible images of dedicated medical workers who make a difference and restore dignity to people stuck in chaos. Environment Our concern for the environment is not new. We have been producing films on the planet’s delicate ecosystems since the 1940s. We continue to inform and present the facts as they are, while suggesting concrete solutions. We have made films on famous Canadians since the NFB was created, and this tradition continues. But we also create films on everyday Canadians making a difference. Salvation highlights the work of the Salvation Army in Toronto. Earth to Mouth shows the owners of a farm dedicated to growing Asian vegetables for the country’s kitchens. Okanagan Dreams focuses on young Quebeckers who go pick fruit in British Columbia. The Future Hopefully the next 10 years will bring many new and outstanding films that will make you think, that will promote discussion and change, and that will entertain you. Enjoy…

Working with Brittain Working with Donald Brittain was an adventure. You never knew what each day would bring, and he was a man who believed in the gods of documentary. He knew that on the days when those gods were smiling down on him, magic would happen. But he was also a man who loved to play games. With his love of the military, he would assign rank to his crew and send them off to battle. He recognized the value of games in the creative process. He was a generous filmmaker and was confident enough to accept suggestions from anybody. It's not that he wouldn't be critical, but if you came up with a good idea, he'd use it. And give you full credit. Donald understood that documentary films are made in the cutting room. Every day, he'd go into the editing room and attempt to create structure for his vast amount of footage. And while he was open to suggestions, no one ever knew what direction he planned to take. In those days, all the cutting was done on actual negatives. He'd constantly be going back over his work, and with the most sincere apologies to his cutter, he would insert and remove frames up until the last minute to get the best possible film. Brittain was a diehard Canadian and that coloured all of his work. He knew every stop the CP line made from Montreal to Vancouver. He loved to tackle Canadian history, but only through biography. He wanted to mythologize Canada, and he understood that the best way to do that was through character. He also felt it was his responsibility to punch holes in self-inflated people. So much so that it became a running theme in his films. Writer first, filmmaker second Brittain was a writer first and a filmmaker second. While a shot was being set up, he'd wander off and mumble lines of narration under his breath. He was always trying to work out how to tie everything together, constantly writing the script in his head. He used to spend late nights in the office, working at his typewriter until the words came out just right. And they had to be his words. Heaven forbid he should open a thesaurus. And even though writing didn't always come easily to him, he was good at it. He could paint a scene with words to the extent that you could hear it, smell it. Filmmaking didn't come as naturally to him. In fact, it took 8 or 9 years at the Board before he made a good film. He was hired at the NFB to write the narration for the Canada at War series, and that's where he learned his craft. After that he made Fields of Sacrifice, which is just a brilliant set of poems. Once he got into the groove of making good films, he had a process that was all his own. He would do tons of research, but in the most bizarre way possible. He'd take out books having to do with the period he was filming, but never on the actual subject itself. He was after the surrounding aspects of the story, the historical context in which his story played out. The catch? He rarely did his own research. Rather, he had trusted colleagues and friends do it for him while he read the sports pages… or the comics. Personal favourites One of Brittain's favourite films was Volcano, not only because it got such a big reaction, but because he could identify with Malcolm Lowry. He understood alcoholism. Brittain drank. Sometimes he tried to hide it, but sometimes he was quite open about it. One time, he walked into his hotel room, pointed to a table in the entranceway that housed two bottles of scotch and said, "That's the sign of an alcoholic. You always want to have an unopened bottle, just in case." But while Volcano may have been his favourite, his two most beloved were Paperland and On Guard for Thee, although neither film enjoyed the critical or audience success he had hoped for. Paperland was his way of exacting revenge on an executive producer here at the NFB, while On Guard for Thee, he felt, said something profound about Canada. It was a cautionary tale about loving your police force too much and giving them too much power. As he says in the film, "When everything's secure, no man is safe." And that sentiment pretty much summed up his approach to life. Despite the many years, and many films Brittain directed for the NFB, he never took a job here. He felt if he was tenured, he'd be less creative. He loved baseball, cards and the track too much. He felt that if he had a salary, he would disappear easily into the sidelines of life and never make another film. He had seen it happen to his friends, and he didn't want to follow in that path. So instead, he trudged on and made film after film after film. And as film lovers, we're all the better for it.

Short, surprising and always entertaining! Watch a collection of one-minute animated shorts from our Hothouse animation apprenticeship program, past and present.

From hockey, to tobogganing and skiing, and back to hockey again, here are some films to get you into the spirit of cold days, steaming cups of hot cocoa, snowy landscapes and the grand beauty of Canadian winters. Enjoy!

This playlist is designed to give viewers a glimpse into the immigrant experience in Canada through the eyes of those who lived it, including both the challenges and benefits of integration into mainstream Canadian culture. Films in This Playlist Include Shipbuilder Western Eyes Opre Roma: Gypsies in Canada Ted Baryluk’s Grocery Strangers at the Door Earth to Mouth Speakers for the Dead Bronwen & Yaffa (Moving Towards Tolerance) Canada Vignettes: Faces

The 1960s was a period of great change at the National Film Board (NFB). Filmmakers had embraced direct cinema at the end of the previous decade and would continue to make classic films in this style throughout the 1960s. Animated films would start to win prizes around the world, and the NFB would try its hand at producing feature-length fiction for the first time. Television would play an ever increasing role in the broadcast of NFB films. As in the 1950s, many classic direct cinema films would be made for television. The seminal series Candid Eye would end its run in 1961, but the NFB would continue to produce great direct cinema films such as Colin Low’s The Hutterites for television. The production of feature-length fiction in both English and French came about when filmmakers used the techniques learned in shooting documentary and adapted them to dramatizing events of importance to Canadian society. Don Owen’s Nobody Waved Good-bye started off as a documentary on juvenile delinquency but along the way the filmmaker realized that fiction was the best way to tell this story and shot the film in this way. Experimental film and animated productions really came of age during this decade. NFB filmmakers were recognized around the world for unique styles that contrasted with what was available commercially at the time. Following in the footsteps of animation pioneer Norman McLaren, filmmakers such as Ryan Larkin and Arthur Lipsett gained international reputations for work that refused to conform to conventional filmmaking techniques, thus creating a new type of film. These filmmakers would inspire a generation of Hollywood greats such as Stanley Kubrick and George Lucas. The decade would end with the NFB’s filmmakers tackling society’s problems through the use of film in such series as Challenge for Change.

The National Film Board was affected by two major factors in the 1950s. The first was the advent of television to Canada. The second involved the move of its operational headquarters from Ottawa to Montreal. Both of these events greatly influenced the type of films produced at the NFB. In September 1952, the audiovisual landscape of Canada was greatly changed with the establishment of the first CBC television stations in Toronto and Montreal. The NFB would start to produce content exclusively for this new medium. The On the Spot series would be the NFB’s first foray into TV production. This series would consist of documentaries running 15 minutes on some aspect of life in Canada. The show was eventually expanded to half-an-hour before being replaced by Perspective, which was a mix of documentaries and dramatic productions on contemporary issues in Canada. This series would run until it was replaced by the seminal groundbreaking series of direct cinema documentaries, Candid Eye. Although by 1955, one-half of all production was for television, the NFB continued to make films for its other traditional markets, including documenting the Canadian visit by Princess Elizabeth in 1951 in Royal Journey, which was released to theatres throughout Canada and would eventually be seen by two million people in over 1,200 cinemas across the country. The move from Ottawa to Montreal was not supported by all concerned in the Federal Government. For one thing, one-quarter of the annual program was derived from sponsored films and since the agencies and departments were in Ottawa, it made sense to stay there. Eventually management realized that it made more sense for the NFB to “detach” itself from the ultra conservative public service in Ottawa. They felt that the best way for the NFB to reinvent itself was to remove itself from Ottawa, which would mean, in practical terms, more autonomy. The emergence of direct cinema and the creation of the French Unit and would go a long way in solidifying the NFB’s reputation as a creator of fascinating innovative documentaries.

I never met Bill Mason in person. He left the National Film Board shortly after I arrived but I wish I had had the chance to talk to him about his magnificent films. My first contact with his work was the film Cry of the Wild, which I saw over 30 years ago at a movie theatre in Montreal. I remember the word of mouth for it was incredible. There were television ads promoting it, and all the kids in my neighbourhood were dying to see it. The film grossed over $5 million at the North American box office, and Mason would become known as one of the first environmental filmmakers. But Bill Mason is so much more than Cry of the Wild, even though it is the film that he is most often associated with. Born in Winnipeg, Mason worked as a commercial artist before joining the staff of Crawley films in Ottawa, where he contributed to the animated TV series Tales of the Wizard of Oz. In the early 1960s Mason photographed several sequences of an adaptation of Holling C. Holling's children's book Paddle to the Sea. The NFB saw this footage and invited Mason to make a film. The rest, as they say, is history. Mason worked at the NFB for 20 years (he would occasionally take a sabbatical to paint), creating a multitude of films that highlighted his love of the outdoors. These included the Path of the Paddle series, In Search of the Bowhead Whale and Blake. These films often starred himself, his wife and children and his good friend filmmaker Blake James. Mason would go out with his canoe and a portable camera and shoot for several weeks in some inaccessible part of Canada, emerging with spectacular footage. A perfectionist at heart, his films are all meticulously shot, edited and scored. He was not averse to using older footage if it fit his needs. His last film, Waterwalker, includes footage shot over a 12-year period mixed with newer material. Mason also wrote several books about the outdoors including Song of the Paddle to accompany his film of the same name. Anyone who has seen a Mason film can appreciate his ability to convey his great love of nature through his films. You escape the distractions of the city by simply watching one of his films and enjoying the beauty of the wild while being educated at the same time. What a refreshing change from the sterile documentaries of today that barely scratch the surface or seek to shock rather than inform. Mason's films are a celebration of nature devoid of preachy sermons. By the time he made his last film, Mason had decided to devote his energies full-time to his other passion, painting. The fact that his producers were not interested in distributing Waterwalker theatrically must have helped Mason make up his mind. The NFB wanted to sell the film to television, feeling it had a very limited potential in theatres. Mason felt otherwise, explaining that the big screen was the only place to enjoy this type of film. He left the NFB in 1984 and bought the theatrical distribution rights to Waterwalker. He rented a theatre in Ottawa and showed the film to packed houses. It was a huge hit, which led to screenings across the country. Sadly, Mason died of cancer at the young age of 59 on October 29, 1988. His films were such an important part of Canada's culture that Canada Post unveiled a stamp in his honour ten years later. He may be gone, but he lives on through his films, paintings and books.

With the first decade of this century coming to an end, many people have decided to compile top 10 lists of just about everything under the sun. To change things around a bit, I thought it would be interesting to focus on 10 films that, for the most part, people have not heard of or seen. My formula for choosing these films is very unscientific: They are 10 films produced between 2000 and 2009 that I thoroughly enjoyed. Socially Responsible Films This decade has seen the NFB put an emphasis on films about the environment, as well as documenting many unique biographies of Canadians. It is in our mandate to make socially responsible films, something we have never shied away from over the last 70 years. We have produced our fair share of investigative films in which we ask difficult questions about important subjects, such as war, cloning, violence against women and children’s rights. A great example of this is War Hospital, which takes an unflinching look at a field hospital in Kenya treating victims of the bloody civil war in Sudan. There’s no narration, but there are some incredible images of dedicated medical workers who make a difference and restore dignity to people stuck in chaos. Environment Our concern for the environment is not new. We have been producing films on the planet’s delicate ecosystems since the 1940s. We continue to inform and present the facts as they are, while suggesting concrete solutions. We have made films on famous Canadians since the NFB was created, and this tradition continues. But we also create films on everyday Canadians making a difference. Salvation highlights the work of the Salvation Army in Toronto. Earth to Mouth shows the owners of a farm dedicated to growing Asian vegetables for the country’s kitchens. Okanagan Dreams focuses on young Quebeckers who go pick fruit in British Columbia. The Future Hopefully the next 10 years will bring many new and outstanding films that will make you think, that will promote discussion and change, and that will entertain you. Enjoy…

It is with great sadness that we learned of the passing of NFB pioneer animator Grant Munro. Born in Winnipeg in 1923, Grant Munro showed talent as a sculptor and flipbook maker while he was still a teenager. He attended the Musgrove School of Art and the Winnipeg School of Art, and earned an honours diploma from the Ontario College of Art in 1944. His teacher, the painter Franklin Carmichael, one of the illustrious Group of Seven, arranged to have Norman McLaren interview Munro’s class for a position in the Animation Unit at the National Film Board. Munro was hired, joining a group that included George Dunning and René Jodoin, both of whom went on to distinguished careers in animation. Quickly establishing himself as a fine animator of paper cut-outs, Munro worked on a number of musical shorts, notably The Three Blind Mice (1946), with Dunning and another neophyte, Bob Verrall. Soon afterward, Jodoin and Munro left the NFB for Mexico with hopes of making films and art there. When film work didn’t pan out, they returned to Ottawa and Munro took a job as a filmstrip artist for Crawley Films. By 1951, Munro was back at the Board, animating instructional films and acting for McLaren on a pixilation project that eventually became the Oscar-winning Neighbours (1952). This film would become arguably the most well-known NFB production of all time, boasting more than 77,000 theatrical bookings worldwide by 1987. In the late 1950s, Munro departed from the NFB again, this time to pursue an animation career in England. After working with Dunning (the future director of Yellow Submarine) for three years at TV Cartoons, Munro rejoined the NFB in 1961. He worked on My Financial Career, a funny take on the Stephen Leacock short story directed by Gerald Potterton (1962). It was nominated for an Oscar, as was Christmas Cracker (1963), a project with Norman McLaren, Jeff Hale and Gerald Potterton that also starred Munro. McLaren and Munro also collaborated on Canon in 1964. Munro made the trick film Toys in 1966 and the anti-smoking comedy Ashes of Doom in 1970, for which he once again played the leading role. He collaborated with McLaren again from 1976 to 1978, on the Animated Motion series, a five-part introduction to basic film animation techniques. He also directed several documentaries, including Boo Hoo (1975) and See You in the Funny Papers (1983). Munro retired from the NFB in 1988 and was made an officer of the Order of Canada in 2008.

This playlist offers a look at what winter in Canada means across the entire country, for in each region, the season brings with it different experiences. Films in This Playlist Include The Sweater HA’Aki The Sword of the Lord Ordeal by Ice Temples of Time Cree Hunters of Mistassini

Vistas is a series of short films on the subject of nationhood. From Halifax to Vancouver, every production studio in the NFB's English Program participated in this project, resulting in 13 unique films from 13 Aboriginal filmmakers. Pour visionner cette sélection en français, cliquez ici. Films in This Playlist Include Vistas: Boxed In Vistas: Button Blanket Vistas: Carrying Fire Vistas: Crossing the Line Vistas: Dancers of the Grass Vistas: Ignition Vistas: InukShop Vistas: Little Thunder Vistas: Red Ochre Vistas - The Visit Vistas: Trapper Vistas: Walk-in-the-Forest Vistas: Wave a Red Flag

We put together a collection of NFB films to spook you out for Halloween. Break out the candy and enjoy... though you may want to keep the lights on. Happy Halloween! Pour visionner cette sélection en français, cliquez ici. Films in This Playlist Include The Wanderer The Apprentice Madame Tutli-Putli The ErlKing Subservience The Brainwashers Drux Flux Hothouse 5 - Batmilk Afterlife Land of the Heads From Far Away The Burning Times To Be Syrinx Man: The Polluter Sleeping Betty Hothouse 11 - U.F.O. Scant Sanity Hothouse 10 - A Little Craving Shyness The Subject

The holidays are the perfect time to snuggle up with a steaming mug of hot chocolate and a good film. Here are a few films for you and your family to enjoy. Pour visionner cette sélection en français, cliquez ici. Films in This Playlist Include Noel Noel Christmas Cracker An Old Box Teach Me to Dance The Sweater The Great Toy Robbery The Pony The Energy Carol The Days Before Christmas The Story of Christmas

This playlist celebrates Canadians and their stories in a playlist dedicated to our national holiday, Canada Day, which takes place on the first of July. Pour visionner cette sélection en français, cliquez ici. Films in This Playlist Include Finding Farley The Sweater Canada Vignette: The Log Driver’s Waltz Roses Sing on New Snow William Shatner Sings O Canada Bryan Adams: Bare Bones Momentum The Girl Who Hated Books Christopher Changes His Name Maq and the Spirit of the Woods

Dance, in all its various forms, has long been a subject of NFB films. Using the camera in various ways, these works explore the possibilities of film to the fullest, offering us interpretations of this most precious art form. Pour visionner cette sélection en français, cliquez ici. Films in This Playlist Include Pas de deux Peggy Baker: Four Phrases Flamenco at 5:15 Lock Source Ballet Adagio ORA Narcissus

This eclectic selection of films all have one thing in common—the power of the public voice. From short animation to documentary, these films all tackle this same topic in different, engaging ways. Pour visionner cette sélection en français, cliquez ici. Films in This Playlist Include Unheralded Speak It! From the Heart of Black Nova Scotia From Baghdad to Peace Country Bronwen and Yaffa (Moving Towards Tolerance) Through a Blue Lens Hannah’s Story Opre Roma: Gypsies in Canada Redskins, Tricksters and Puppy Stew Trawna Tuh Belvul Encounter with Saul Alinksy, Part 2: Rama Indian Reserve You Are on Indian Land My Name is Kahentiiosta 24 Days in Brooks Democracy a la Maude Invasion of the Space Lobsters Tommy Douglas: Keeper of the Flame Action: The October Crisis of 1970 V.T.R. Rosedale Unwanted Soldiers Black Soul

This playlist commemorates Remembrance Day and all the implications it entails, including the sacrifice of Canadian soldiers whose efforts allowed us to live in peace and security. Pour visionner cette sélection en français, cliquez ici. Films in This Playlist Include John McCrae’s War: In Flanders Fields Fields of Sacrifice Front Lines – Faith and Hope Front Lines – Nurses at the Front Front Lines – The Life of a Soldier Front Lines – The Officer’s Role Front Lines – The Trenches George P. Vanier: Soldier, Diplomat, Governor General And We Knew How to Dance: Women in World War I Airplane Casualties Battle of Arras 3 Canadians Advance Near Cambrai 3 The Van Doos, One Hundred Years with the Royal 22e Regiment

The purpose of this playlist is to provide people within the LBGTQIA2+ community a way to see themselves represented on screen while introducing those outside the community to the issues faced every day. Pour visionner cette sélection en français, cliquez ici. Films in This Playlist Include Twitch Pepper I Still Love Them Last Chance Forbidden Love: The Unashamed Stories of Lesbian Lives Open Secrets When Love is Gay Cure for Love John and Michael Doctors with Heart

This playlist brings together films that promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilize support for the dignity, rights, and well-being of persons with disabilities. Films in This Playlist Include Shameless: The ART of Disability John and Michael Bearing Witness: Luke Melchior Citizen Sam Petra’s Poem Toward Intimacy Between the Laughter My Friends Call Me Tony Two Sisters All About Kids A Child Unlike Any Other Acting Blind I’ll Find a Way

This playlist features some of the most important NFB films about Montreal’s English-speaking community. From documentaries on the history of this community to portraits of its world-renowned artists, these films paint a picture of a thriving culture in constant evolution.

This playlist deals with the inalienable, fundamental rights that all persons are entitled to, regardless of race, ethnic origin, colour, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, family status, or disability. Pour visionner cette sélection en français, cliquez ici. Films in This Playlist Include Fat Chance The Tree That Remembers The Colour of Beauty Every Child Last Chance Opre Roma: Gypsies in Canada Finding Dawn Status Quo: The Unfinished Business of Feminism in Canada Who Cares 19 Days

Watch the third edition of films from our 5 Short Project, an NFB initiative that explores the short documentary genre by working with artist-run centres or production centres throughout the various regions of Quebec. The third edition of 5 Shorts Project features, for the first time, five female directors, two of whom hail from the Kitcisakik Anicinape Community. This year, Émilie Villeneuve (Granny and Mia), Evelyne Papatie (Children of the Nomad), Délia Gunn (Délia 9 to 5), Jessy Poulin (The Mental Load for Dummies), and Gabrielle Cornellier (Toes Heels Toes Heels) took up the challenge of creating a very short film for the web. These films—moving, funny, and powerful—have distinctive styles, and all take a direct, meaningful, and uninhibited look at the family, the community, and the world.

Discover films from the very first edition of the 5 Shorts Project! This initiative, launched by the National Film Board of Canada and produced in conjunction with Quebec artist-run centers, brings forth short documentaries entirely shot in digital 4K. Innovative, surprising and thought-provoking, this first edition introduces us to work of 5 talented independent filmmakers. Between 3 and 6 minutes in length, the films were produced by Nathalie Cloutier (NFB) and Catherine Benoît of Spirafilm, a Quebec cooperative dedicated to independent cinema. Involvement with regional artist-run centers is a primordial aspect of the 5 Shorts Project. Active production hubs, these centers share the NFB's goal of fostering quality independent filmmaking while bringing together skilled artists from various disciplines. Enjoy!

The battle of Vimy Ridge represents a turning point in the First World War, but the price of victory was steep. This playlist explores both the battle itself, and the tragic loss felt afterwards. Pour visionner cette sélection en français, cliquez ici. Films in This Playlist Include The Trenches Vimy-Ridge Battle of Arras 3

Here is a list of Oscar-winning films produced by the NFB. Each of these nine films is remarkable in its own way and you can watch them all online for free. NFB filmmakers have won a few Academy Awards over the years - 12 to be exact. From the astounding Churchill's Island, a gruelling portrait of the Second World War and winner of the first documentary Oscar® ever, to Flamenco at 5:15, a visual and emotional thriller about the art of Flamenco dancing, to Ryan, Chris Landreth's intimate animated interview with the talented Ryan Larkin. Each of these films breaks down barriers and finds new and exciting ways to tell stories. Watch them now.